Three people have been killed in a shooting in the Australian state of New South Wales, police said on Thursday, with reports a gunman remained at large. The shooting incident took place on the day when Australia began a national day of mourning for the Bondi Beach shooting victims.
Police said an operation was currently underway in the town of Lake Cargelligo, about 611 kilometres (379 miles) west of Sydney, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Emergency services were called to the scene following reports of a shooting in the late afternoon.
Two women and one man have died, and another man has been taken to hospital in a serious but stable condition, police said.
“A police operation is currently underway at Lake Cargelligo,” police said in a statement on social media.
The shooting incident happened just a month aftera mass shooting on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach in Australia on December 14, 2025, in which afather and son duo killed 15 people.
According to reports, millions of Australians were asked to observe a minute’s silence at 7:01 pm east coast time (0801 GMT) for the Bondi Beach shooting victims on Thursday.
“When we look to Bondi, we don’t just see a beach. We see it as part of our promise to the world. It’s a welcoming embrace, a famous crescent of sand and water where there’s room for everyone…This is a place where nothing should break except for the waves. But a lot broke that night,” said Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, according to an AFP report.
Australia on Tuesday passed new laws to enable a national gun buyback and tighten background checks for firearm licences in response to the shooting.
New South Wales, which has the most guns of any state in the country, has also passed laws to limit individuals to possession of four guns and mandate gun club membership for licence holders.
With inputs from Reuters.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
